Electric Universe

How Electricity Switched on the Modern World

By: David Bodanis

Narrated by: Adam Levy

The bestselling author of E=mc2 weaves tales of romance, divine inspiration, and fraud through an account of the invisible force that permeates our universe—electricity—and introduces us to the virtuoso scientists who plumbed its secrets. For centuries, electricity was seen as little more than a curious property of certain substances that sparked when rubbed. Then, in the 1790s, Alessandro Volta began the scientific investigation that ignited an explosion of knowledge and invention. The force that once seemed inconsequential was revealed to be responsible for everything from the structure of the atom to the functioning of our brains. In harnessing its power, we have created a world of wonders—complete with roller coasters and radar, computer networks and psychopharmaceuticals.

In Electric Universe, the great discoverers come to life in all their brilliance and idiosyncrasy, including the visionary Michael Faraday, who struggled against the prejudices of the British class system, and Samuel Morse, a painter who, before inventing the telegraph, ran for mayor of New York City on a platform of persecuting Catholics. Here too is Alan Turing, whose dream of a marvelous thinking machine—what we know as the computer—was met with indifference, and who ended his life in despair after British authorities forced him to undergo experimental treatments to “cure” his homosexuality. From the frigid waters of the Atlantic to the streets of Hamburg during a World War II firestorm to the interior of the human body, Electric Universe is a mesmerizing journey of discovery.

©2005 David Bodanis (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Hugely impressive. No one makes complex science more fascinating and accessible—and indeed more pleasurable—than David Bodanis.” —Bill Bryson, author of A Short History of Nearly Everything and A Walk in the Woods

“Bodanis wears his immense knowledge lightly. His crystal-clear explanations of everything from force fields under the Atlantic to GPS satellites combine with a flair for narrative and an eagle eye for obscure facts (where else can you learn that antidepressants turn into liquid electricity when swallowed?) to provide an intriguing account of how the wonders of electricity have transformed our world.” —Ross King, author of Brunelleschi’s Dome and Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling

“Electric Universe is a technological odyssey complete with heroes and villains, triumph and tragedy—a true scientific adventure.” —Simon Singh, author of Fermat’s Enigma and Big Bang

Amazing Book!

This is the only book I have in both print and audio format. It paints a great picture of the development of our understanding of electricity through the ages. Not only this but it highlights the most interesting stories and people involved, and puts it in context of what was going on at the time.

In addition to this I think it imparts a good fundamental understanding of what electricity is. I certainly feel it did a better job than my teachers at college. If you are interested in inventing, good stories or just electricity this has it all.

If I have one complaint its that I wish Nikola Tesla was mentioned more.

Currently I am listening to it for a second time (I never normally listen to books twice) and its teaching me even more the second time round. A lovely book, very educational, and I will encourage my children to read it when they are a little older.

More Fun Then Expected

Where does Electric Universe rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is on the 'keeper' List

What did you like best about this story?

Nice little bag of gems

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nothing extreme

Any additional comments?

A good section on the early transatlantic cables and I say that having on hand a full book on the subject. Also the section on Heinrick Hertz is essential.

Good reading

The book is good, have a good starting, a lot of enteresting storys. The end is good too, make you understand a lot of things in this electric universe.
Its a shame they didn't talk about Nikola Tesla. But why? I can't undestand this! Bus its a good book.

Boring and unimaginative

I heard a recommendation for this book in one of the podcasts over at twit.tv. The recommendations of Leo Laporte and Co are usually excellent, but in this case, the pick was a disappointment. The book tells about the history of electricity. All the stories one has heard many times before, I heard them as a boy about 30 year ago. Then the book uses electricity as an excuse to tell pretty long and boring war stories. The final part about electricity in biology feels forced and patched on. The attempt to explain electricity in words understandable for a general audience can only be called unimaginative. "tiny" electrons, "giant atoms", electrons being pushed back and forth by a field, this is about as far as it gets. This book is neither for advanced readers, nor do I think that it is the one that will capture the interest of a novice.

There was no mention of Nikola Tesla!

There was NO mention of Nikola Tesla and the fact that he talked about Thomas Edison made me wonder if this book really knew what it was talking about and if the facts were all true.